Crystalis NES

Description

Crystalis NES Game Cartridge

Crystalis was released for the NES in 1990 and was developed and published by SNK. Now considered as one of the NES cult classics, the initial success brought about the GBC version which was released in 2000. It was considered more a remake than a port, with many changes being made including the story, music, etc, upsetting the fans from the original.

The setting is post-apocalyptic, with 100 years having gone by since a world thermonuclear war which reverted the planet back to a medieval like existence that is populated with aggressive mutated creatures. Technology and science has all been been abandoned and the ways of magic survived. A floating Tower was built by the survivors from the thermonuclear war to prevent future disasters. The Tower had a weapons system that allowed the survivors to have the ability of governing the world. A man named Emperor Draygon revived science and combined it with magic and used it to control the last existing military power to try and conquer what is remaining on the planet by going into the Tower. The protagonist, the player’s character, awakens with amnesia but is helped by four sages, and learns the world is going into turmoil because of the Draygonia Empire’s devastating influence. He is then given the Sword of Wind and searches for Mesia, who survived from his time, and to put together the four swords with each having an element, which are Wind, Water, Fire, and Thunder. When combined, they form Crystalis, the legendary sword. Working together, they need to destroy Draygon in time before he gets to the tower to use for his evil plan.

The gameplay has similarities to action RPG’s. The player sees from a top down perspective and can move in eight directions smoothly. One button is used to attack with your sword, and the other is for an action chosen by the player, like a magic attack or items from your inventory. The start button shows the status screen and the select button goes to your inventory menu. The player can also equip a variety of shields and armor. Defeating enemies will give you experience points to gain levels, which will increase your attack, defense, and health. The main way to kill monsters is by using one of the four swords you can use through the game. The final sword called Crystalis is obtained at the end of the game. While using one of the swords, each one is capable of being charged and launching a projectile aside from normal slashing, and each sword also has a different element, which are wind, water, fire, and thunder. Due to the different elements of the swords, each of the swords are more effective in other areas than the others, including being able to get past objects that cannot be passed unless you have the correct sword. However, there are enemies that will be immune to certain swords and the opposing element must be used to defeat them, such as using the fire sword to kill ice monsters. The bosses will also require the player to be at a certain level or higher or else the boss cannot be damaged, even with the right sword.

The control is similar to The Legend of Zelda, with the difference being less puzzle solving and more combating, and also being able to move diagonally and not just up, down, left, or right. The player also has the ability to jump over the enemies, while certain enemies can make a puddle so they can slide under your characters reach with the sword.